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02/24/14 @ 3:04 pm EST
How did you break into comics? When did you decide you wanted to do this as a career?
I guess it depends on your definition of “breaking in”. In 2001 I created an online comic called The Makeshift Miracle that I serialized online. It was a creative outlet, a way for me to work on my art and have regular output so I’d get it done. Through that website I met a bunch of other comic creators (including Scott McCloud, Joey Manley, and Lea Hernandez) and they convinced me to travel to San Diego Comicon in 2002. That was the first time I felt like I was a comic creator, even if it was still a hobby at that point.
My first professional comic credit would be as a colorist for the UDON studio on the Chronicles of Conan reprints Dark Horse was putting out at the time. From there I’d move on to doing other illustration work at the studio, then over to Project Management, Editorial, and eventually writing. My first professional comic writing credit is on the Exalted comic series UDON released in 2005.
Who has/have been the biggest influence(s) on your on your comics career?
Growing up as an avid comic reader I went through a bunch of reading phases, from superheroes, through to indy black & white comics, to manga, mature readers books, and everything inbetween, so it’s a bit hard to pin down influences that people would be able to see in my work.
Reading manga by Masakazu Katsura, Katsuhiro Otomo, and Izumi Matsumoto opened my brain up to the possibilities for stories that weren’t just superheroes or Hollywood-style action-adventure.
Seeing the script sample by Neil Gaiman in the back of the Sandman: Dream Country collection was a big deal. It really drove home that these stories were being written by someone and it demystified some of that process for me.
Bone by Jeff Smith mixed an all-ages animation sensibility with a fun and engaging story. I was in college taking animation courses and reading that Jeff started as an animator and moved into comics was definitely an inspiration.
I know you always have a full plate, as you do some teaching in addition to your writing workload. Can you describe a typical day/work routine for us?
My day to day schedule can vary quite a bit, but on a week by week basis there is some sense of consistency.
I teach at Seneca College here in Toronto. I’ve been coordinator of Seneca’s 3 year Animation advanced diploma program for the past 8 years, so I take care of curriculum development, scheduling instructors, equipment budgeting, and handling student concerns while also teaching a few courses each semester. It’s a full time job so I’m at the college on most weekdays. When I have free time at the school I squeeze in some comic scripting, either between classes or during my lunch break, but the bulk of my comic writing happens at home in the evenings or on weekends. I try to do a bit each day, maintaining a regular page count during the week and then tend to write bigger blocks of material on weekends, with the occasional marathon writing session in there if things fall behind.
All of that jammed together with convention travel during the spring and summer doesn’t leave a lot of free time, but I’m doing something I love, both at the college and with my writing, so it’s worth it.
Have any writing methods you care to share?
I cover quite a bit of this on some writing tutorials on my blog, but I tend to be quite structured in my writing approach. I outline and do page pacing breakdowns so I have a really solid idea of what’s happening in the story before I start scripting. Having that structure already figured out saves me a lot of stress and I think helps cut down on extensive revisions later in the process. That structured method doesn’t work for everyone, but I’ve found it invaluable.
Were you into RPG games/D&D growing up? Do you still play?
Big time, yeah. My older brother and cousins started me on Dungeons & Dragons when I was 8-9 years old and it really ignited that storytelling fire within me. At a table full of older people I’d get my turn to speak and could help guide the story, which was a really cool feeling to me at the time. By high school I was usually the game master for my group of friends and we played any tabletop game we could get our hands on – Rifts, Shadowrun, Vampire the Masquerade, TMNT, Call of Cthulhu, Feng Shui. You name it and we probably played it at some point.
I’m way too busy to have a regular campaign going anymore, so when I get together with friends to play we tend to gravitate towards board game nights. We love co-op games that have a bit of that RPG feel, and our current favorites include Zombicide, Arkham Horror, Pandemic, and Escape from the Temple.
You’re known for your fantasy writing. What're the differences between working with a large established world like Pathfinder as opposed to creating one wholly as you've done with Skullkickers?
They’re both great in their own way. Having an established framework already in place can really help when I’m trying to come up with story ideas. Golarion, the fantasy world of Pathfinder, is so chock full of amazing material that you can build from or use as a springboard for other ideas.
Working on Skullkickers and generating the whole thing from scratch is obviously satisfying too. There’s a freedom there that’s scary and wonderful at the same time. It’s like a circus trapeze without a safety net. When people tell me they’re enjoying Skullkickers I have such an incredible amount of pride because I know it wouldn’t exist if Edwin and I didn’t put it together.
You seem to prefer fun RPG-style character banter/action as opposed to stodgy, uptight fantasy stuff. Is that a fair statement?
That’s pretty dead-on, yeah. I love ‘earthy’ fantasy like Conan or Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser rather than high fantasy dross packed with unpronounceable names and an over-inflated sense of gravitas. I think that’s the D&D influence rearing its head. When you’re creating fantasy stories with your friends around a table it tends to be frantic and a bit ridiculous. That’s always felt like the proper sword & sorcery mix to me.
There has been a lot of positive response to the first 12 issues of the Pathfinder comic. How does City of Secrets tie into those issues?
I’m really proud of what we’ve done with the Pathfinder comic and I’m thrilled that fans have been enjoying the stories I’ve put together.
City of Secrets picks up right after issue #12 and the Pathfinder Special. The iconics are now in Magnimar and that exciting new location brings with it greater challenges and higher stakes. The group’s unity will be tested as each of them are pulled in different directions based on what they want or choices they’ve made in their past.
What's got you most excited about this new mini series?
The first two story arcs were groundwork for establishing the group, defining their personalities and the bonds between them. Now that we have that in place we can dig deeper in terms of their motivations and needs while also showing more of the great things that make the Pathfinder setting so unique and exciting.
Any new projects or plans for 2014 you want to tell us about before you go?
I’m juggling a lot of different projects this year in addition to Pathfinder: City of Secrets. I can’t say too much beyond that right now, but there are a lot of new Jim Zub-penned comics coming throughout 2014. Right now I have 7 projects at 6 publishers all at different stages of production. I hope that if people are enjoying Pathfinder they’ll check in with other comics I’m working on as they’re announced and released.
The best way to keep up on what I’m doing is through my website: www.jimzub.com. In addition to announcements and interviews I’ve got tutorials about writing, pitching, and working in comics that people may find helpful.
04/19/24 @ 7:23 pm EST
BOOM! Studios today revealed a first look at UNCANNY VALLEY #2, the next issue of a brand new original series by fan-favorite writer Tony Fleecs (Stray Dogs), acclaimed illustrator Dave Wachter (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), and letterer Pat Brosseau. Join in on the wild ride of cartoon mayhem, family drama, and deadly secrets in UNCANNY VALLEY, available May 2024! As the mystery of Oliver’s origins continues to unfold, the literal cartoonish realism of his existence has to somehow be connected to his mother’s family history. And with his uncanny powers setting him apart from the other kids, what will Oliver do to make his own way in the world? Especially considering that there are sinister forces at play, watching from beyond our world… UNCANNY VALLEY #2 features covers by Dave Wachter and Tony Fleecs, along with Jorge Corona (Middlewest) & Sarah Stern, and Flaviano (Grim). UNCANNY VALLEY is the newest release from BOOM! Studios’ eponymous imprint, home to critically acclaimed original series, including BRZRKR by Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt, and Ron Garney; Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera; Grim by Stephanie Phillips and Flaviano; Stuff of Nightmares by R.L. Stine and A.L. Kaplan; Damn Them All by Simon Spurrier and Charlie Adlard; Once Upon a Time at the End of the World by Jason Aaron, Alexandre Tefenkgi, Leila del Duca, and Nick Dragotta; Know Your Station by Sarah Gailey and Liana Kangas; A Vicious Circle by Mattson Tomlin and Lee Bermejo; The Neighbors by Jude Ellison S. Doyle and Letizia Cadonici; Ghostlore by Cullen Bunn and Leomacs; Sirens of the City by Joanne Starer and Khary Randolph; Coda by Simon Spurrier and Matías Bergara; Rare Flavours by Ram V and Filipe Andrade; Underheist by David and Maria Lapham; and Animal Pound by Tom King and Peter Gross. The imprint also publishes popular licensed properties, including Dune: House Harkonnen from Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, and Michael Shelfer; Mighty Morphin Power Rangers by Melissa Flores and Simona Di Gianfelice; and The Expanse: Dragon Tooth by Andy Diggle and Rubine. UNCANNY VALLEY #2 will be available in comic shops May 15, 2024. It is available for pre-order at your local comic shop. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including Kindle, iBooks, and Google Play. Uncanny Valley #2 A Main: MAR240084 Uncanny Valley #2 B Variant: MAR240085 Uncanny Valley #2 C 1:10 INCV: MAR240086 Uncanny Valley #2 D 1:25 INCV: MAR240087        
... 04/19/24 @ 7:17 pm EST
Action scribes Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec are going to Disneyland.The prolific team behind Amazon’s high-profile spy series Citadel and showrunners on Netflix’s adaptation of Cowboy Bebop have been tapped to write Disney’s live-action adaptation of Space Mountain.Jonathan Eirich from Rideback, the banner that is behind Netflix’s hit live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series, is producing the feature, which has been in development for several years, along with Joby Harold and Tory Tunnell of Safehouse Pictures. Harold was the project’s previous writer. Rideback’s Ryan Halprin is exec producing.The ride has no overarching theme nor memorable characters seen in such rides as Pirates of the Caribbean. In fact, Space Mountain in Disneyland has been turned into Hyperspace Mountain and given a Star Wars makeover on occasion. As such, the story is being created whole cloth with the ride acting as inspiration.Plot details are being kept in the hair-sweeping rush of the dark void as Appelbaum and Nemec build out the story. (via THR) 04/19/24 @ 1:30 pm EST
Joe Manganiello has come aboard to produce and star in Mountain Man, a zombie thriller set to enter production later this year, which will launch sales via Film Bridge International at Cannes. An adaptation of the popular book series of the same name from Keith C. Blackmore, Mountain Man tells the story of Gus, a lonely post-apocalyptic survivor facing isolation and the ever-present specter of a zombie attack, who struggles with alcohol abuse and suicidal thoughts until he discovers another survivor, a captivating woman who poses another threat altogether. John Lee (A24’s False Positive) will direct from a script by Matt Deller, with Nick and Joe Manganiello’s 3:59 producing alongside Danny Chan (Barbarian). (via Deadline) 04/19/24 @ 1:22 pm EST
Foundation star Sandra Yi Sencindiver has joined FX and Noah Hawley’s Alien series which is filming in Thailand. Exec-produced by Ridley Scott, the prequel series will be set towards the end of this century (franchise watchers estimate the date to be a few years before Prometheus, and some thirty years before Scott’s film). It’ll be the first project in the franchise to take place on Earth and has been reported to deal with the emergence of the story’s infamous Weyland-Yutani Corporation and the race between corporations to create new android life. The series will star Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, Essie Davis, Adarsh Gourav, Kit Young, Timothy Olyphant, David Rysdahl, Babou Cessay, Erana James, Lily Newmark and Adrian Edmonson. Deadline is reporting that Sencindiver appears in multiple episodes and will play a senior member of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation. There is reportedly scope for the character to grow in future series. 04/19/24 @ 1:21 pm EST
Maximum Carnage. Absolute Carnage. King in Black. Every few years, the wild symbiote corner of the Marvel Universe erupts in a saga oozing with violence, drama, and insanity that only Venom and his kind can deliver. This August, the next milestone symbiote event arrives in Al Ewing and Iban Coello’s VENOM WAR. A master at planning out epic storylines, Ewing has been laying the foundation for VENOM WAR since the very beginning of his current run of Venom. Limitless in scope, the series has followed Eddie Brock and his son, Dylan, on separate journeys as the symbiote heroes. But after both have terrifying glimpses of the future, they realize only one of them can be Venom. Their father and son feud will become everyone’s problem as past and present symbiote characters alike are forced to take a side! LAST VENOM STANDING! The Venom Symbiote has bonded with both Eddie Brock and his son Dylan at different points. Now both Brocks are going head-to-head, determined to be the one, true Venom! Father versus son in a showdown of showdowns that threatens to tear the world asunder! From heavyweight talent champions Ewing and Coello comes a Battle for the ‘Biote like you’ve never seen! "This is what we've been building to since the start of this wild and way-out symbiote odyssey - the fateful confrontation between father and son!” Ewing explained. “Where better to have it than inside the squared circle? And who better to bring this all-action epic to the page with than my old buddy Iban Coello? I'm tellin' ya, goo believer -- this is vehemently varied Venom violence like never viewed, and only one host can wear the symbiote when the dust settles! Who's it gonna be?" Stay tuned in the weeks ahead for more VENOM WAR news, including tie-in series announcements. 
... 04/18/24 @ 5:32 pm EST
Paramount and Hasbro’s animated Transformers One is pushing back its release in theaters by one week in order to take advantage of Imax screens and to provide some breathing room from the competition.The film will now open Sept. 20, 2024, instead of Sept. 13. That gives it two weeks of distance from Sony’s Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice.Paramount revealed the date change as it launched a new trailer for Transformers One from nowhere other than space — a first for Hollywood, according to the studio. The launch kicked off at 6 a.m. PT with a livestreamed countdown showing the journey into space. After one hour, the craft reached its peak at 125,000 feet above the Earth, revealing the trailer with a custom introduction video from voice stars Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry. The star-studded voice cast also includes Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key and Steve Buscemi, with Laurence Fishburne and Jon Hamm. (via THR) Trailer: https://youtu.be/u1rqoa8x7g4 04/18/24 @ 5:33 pm EST
On May 18, the next Marvel Comics crossover epic begins! From Avengers and Moon Knight scribe Jed MacKay and acclaimed X-Men artists Pepe Larraz and Marte Gracia comes the bloodiest event in Marvel history--BLOOD HUNT! The saga kicks off when eternal night washes over Earth, and vampires, united by a single vision for the first time in millennia, emerge from the shadows. To keep them at bay, a new world order may need to be put in place… Today, fans can get a peek at the final issue of the main series, on sale in July. In BLOOD HUNT #5, Doctor Strange is presented with a dread bargain to gain a chance to save the world. The Avengers ride into a battle they cannot win. The dead battle the undead across the globe. Will it be enough? Will the world be saved, and how will it be changed if it is? Featuring a dramatic shift for the future of the Marvel Universe! Check out the BLOOD HUNT #5 cover and pick up the debut issue on May 1. 
04/18/24 @ 11:37 am EST
Top Cow is reimagining the hit supernatural thriller series Witchblade. The new series, coming July 2024, will be penned by NYT Best-Selling Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. Together, they will reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s die-hard fans with a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.Marguerite Bennett, who has been focused on writing for the upcoming Butterfly TV Series and Ark: The Animated Series, says, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.” 
In Witchblade #1, New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini's life was forever fractured by her father's murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it? Through last year’s Witchblade Complete Collection Kickstarter, the world received a glimpse of Marc Silvestri’s Witchblade Armor redesign. But, a whole new universe has been created by Giuseppe Cafaro, who states, “The Witchbladeuniverse is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac!”Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”Witchblade #1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. The Final Order Cutoff deadline for comic shop retailers is Monday, June 24th, 2024. 
- Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)
- Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)
- Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover
- Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)
- Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)
- Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)
- Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)
- Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc. Virgin Cover, Inks (B/W) Witchblade #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play. ... 04/18/24 @ 11:27 am EST
The bestselling creators behind the three-time Hugo Award nominated, two-time British Fantasy Award winning series Die—Kieron Gillen (The Wicked + The Divine, Immortal X-men) and Stephanie Hans (Secret Wars 1602: Witch Hunter Angela, Black Bolt)—will reteam for their first ever original graphic novel collaboration to be titled, We Called Them Giants. This epic, post-apocalyptic story is scheduled to hit shelves in November from Image Comics. Gillen and Hans first made waves with their breakout hit dark fantasy Die in 2018. Die quickly caught reader attention and the series skyrocketed to the top of the sales charts and launched Hans’ career into superstardom. It went on to appear on many Best of the Year lists, including that of Tor.com, and snagged multiple award nominations and wins. "After we finished Die, we knew we wanted to do something completely different. Rather than a sprawling ongoing, do something smaller, intimate, self-contained and really pure,” said Gillen. “So, in the middle of the covid lockdowns, I was left alone with my cats, staring at them, and them staring at me, and thinking about the miracle of relationships between beings of completely different kinds of intelligences, and the wonder of the jump across that gap. The image of the feral girl in the devastation and the giants came quickly after that, and we were away. People will fall in love and have their hearts broken—the full Hans/Gillen experience. Despite the post-apocalypse setting the story has an almost weird-fable kind of vibe, and ends up basically as a conversation between The Walking Dead and The Iron Giant. Basically, We Called Them Giants is the story of communication across a chasm at the end of the world. Folks have seen what Stephanie does on a month-by-month rush on an ongoing comic. Here, it's a thrill to see her luxuriate—creating this single long story, and being able to shape the whole thing into a poignant, romantic, devastating single canvas." We Called Them Giants follows main character Lori, who wakes to find the streets empty. Everyone has gone. Or at least, nearly everyone. She’s thrown into a world where she has to scrape by in the ruins of civilization, nearly starving, hiding from gangs when… They arrive. Hans added: “As an Artist, it is always a joy to work on new challenges, especially when it is with such a great Writer. Kieron wrote an emotional story in which he let me go wild on designs. It’s a new, beautiful end of the world tale, a little bit epic, a bit nostalgic and a bit contemplative. It’s nothing like we did before. In all the best ways.” We Called Them Giants promises readers the poignant, romantic, and devastating story of a young girl who wakes up to find her world has turned upside down. "This book is nothing short of incredible," said Eric Stephenson, Publisher and Chief Creative Officer at Image Comics. "Kieron and Stephanie had already established themselves as one of comics’ premier creative teams, but they’re operating at a whole other level with We Called Them Giants." We Called Them Giants hardcover (ISBN: 978-1534387072) will be available at local comic book shops on Wednesday, October 30 and independent bookstores, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Indigo, and Waterstones on Tuesday, November 12. We Called Them Giants will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.     
... 04/18/24 @ 11:20 am EST
Following Krakoa’s fall, it’s a dangerous time to be a mutant in the Marvel Universe. Luckily, Cyclops will step up to lead a formidable new team in Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman’s X-MEN #1. Today, fans can see three new variant covers for the debut issue! In MacKay and Stegman’s X-MEN, mutant business is Cyclops’ business as the first X-Man makes it his mission to keep hope alive for the species—by any means necessary! Cyclops’ group includes some of his most trusted soldiers like Psylocke, Magik, and Beast, the brightest of the next generation including Kid Omega and Temper, along with powerhouses like Magneto and Juggernaut. Raising a flag of defiance at their new base in Alaska, everyone in the world will soon know that if they want to go after mutantkind, they’ll have to go through them first! X-MEN, the first of three flagship titles set in the X-Men’s From the Ashes era, will have new variant covers including a group shot by celebrated X-Men artist Tony Daniel, a character spotlight by J. Scott Campbell that will also be available as a virgin variant cover, and a hidden gem piece by the legendary George Pérez, whose iconic depiction of Beast during his time with the Avengers inspired Stegman’s own take on the character! Check out the covers and preorder X-MEN #1 at your local comic ship today!   
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